The present invention relates generally to electric machines and more particularly to a segmented magnet component for use in an electric machine and methods of assembling the segmented magnet component and electric machine.
Manufacturing of permanent magnets (PM) for use in electric machines, such as interior permanent magnet (IPM) machines, typically requires a cost-intensive mold and sinter process. Additionally, in order to provide the various PM shapes for the various shapes and configurations of slots, the magnets must be cut or milled Often multiple shapes and sizes of magnets are required for a single model of IPM machine. The magnets, once manufactured, are placed or inserted into the various slots in the rotor laminations. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, what often occurs is standard magnet sizes 170 (e.g., rectangles) are placed in the rows 160 of voids 165 of a rotor lamination 150. Often the magnets 170 end up inefficiently filling the spaces 165. This inefficient and expensive process further results in undesirable empty spaces or voids remaining in the slots between the inserted magnets and the lamination of the rotor. This inefficiency and cost also creates a disincentive in manufacturing rotor laminations that have curved rows of curved voids due to the difficulty in efficiently filling the curved voids.
Accordingly, there is an ongoing need for improvement of current electric machine manufacturing technologies that address at least one of complexity, cost, efficiency, and/or performance.